Two parents from California accused of torturing 13 children

21 January 2018

The siblings are being treated at Riverside University Health System Medical Center for extreme malnourishment. "As a matter of fact, my dad was a preacher at one time when I was very little, and they weren't raised like that". "Over the years, the Lord knows what happened".

Louise Anna Turpin, 49, was arrested last Sunday, Jan. 14, with her husband, 57-year-old David Allen Turpin, after a 17-year-old girl escaped from their Perris, Calif., home early Sunday morning and used a cellphone to call 911.

As Wednesday unfolded, investigators began their work of combing through the filthy, foul-smelling house looking for answers to the central question that has so far baffled authorities: why the Turpins apparently imprisoned their children before being arrested at the weekend, allegedly allowing them to starve and shackling them to furniture. Today they plead not guilty to a raft of abuse and torture charges. "Our clients are presumed to be innocent, and that is a very important presumption". He added, "We're going to provide a vigorous defense".

Her suburban Southern California home served as a private school and a prison for the siblings aged 2 to 29.

While all but one of the brothers and sisters emerged from 160 Muir Woods in Perris, California, on Sunday malnourished and under-weight, the state of the canines appeared to contrast immensely.

According to CBS, their 29-year-old sibling weighed just 82 pounds, and a 12 year old weighed as much as an average 7 year old.

Uffer described the victims' conditions as "not so different than a prisoner of war".

Parks also told ABC News that the CPS office in Riverside is an advocate of sibling adoption, so there would be an effort to keep the siblings together. "So we are providing that environment ... in terms of the teaching, training, educating, nourishing emotionally and physically".

Asked if she ever breaks down after leaving her patients, Kamalpour said, "Absolutely. You reflect when you leave".

"She said that they had prayed about it and she had a bad dream and she didn't feel that she should make the trip".

Despite her age, deputies at first believed her to be around 10 years old because of she was emaciated and malnourished.

"She may have been able to gain access to more nutrition, so that she had the energy to more forward and escape", Bailey said.

"So it's affected the staff".

"They left the double-wide trashed". And you it hurts to see what another human being can do to another human being.

In 1999, the couple moved to a home in Rio Vista, Texas, where they stayed until 2010. Even more heartening: "They're hopeful that life will get better for them after this event", he shared.

Bailey said if there is a silver lining, it's that the teenager got away and sounded the alarm. "It is encouraging that events like this bring out the desire in people to help in whatever ways they can".

Hestrin said that the Turpin parents would only let the children shower once a year, and if they washed their hands above the wrist, they would be punished for, quote, "playing in the water".